YouTube star MrBeast has responded to grooming allegations against his friend and collaborator Ava Kris Tyson.
Tyson, 28, has denied allegations made earlier this month of sending inappropriate messages to a minor, reportedly a 13-year-old, when she was aged 20.
She announced on Tuesday she had “mutually decided it’s best I permanently step away from all things MrBeast and social media to focus on my family and mental health”.
MrBeast, real name Jimmy Donaldson, addressed the allegations in a post on X on Thursday.
“Over the last few days, I’ve become aware of the serious allegations of Ava Tyson’s behaviour online and I am disgusted and opposed to such unacceptable acts,” he wrote.
“During that time, I have been focused on hiring an independent third party to conduct a thorough investigation to ensure I have all the facts.
“That said, I’ve seen enough online and taken immediate action to remove Ava from the company, my channel, and any association with MrBeast. I do not condone or support any of the inappropriate actions.
“I will allow the independent investigators the necessary time to conduct a comprehensive investigation and will take any further actions based on their findings.”
Ava Kris Tyson and MrBeast – real name Jimmy Donaldson. Pic: Instagram / @mrbeast
Tyson’s statement earlier this week read: “I would like to apologise for any of my past behaviour or comments if it hurt or offended anyone. It was not my intent.”
She added: “I never groomed anyone. The person who gets brought up in these accusations has vocally supported that they are false.
“Having said that, I humbly apologise to anyone I have hurt with my unacceptable social media posts, past actions, and to those who may feel betrayed by how I used to act online.
“To lump these two factors together to create a narrative that my behaviour extended beyond bad edgy jokes is disgusting and did not happen.
“In past years, I have learned that my old humour is not acceptable. I cannot change who I was, but I can continue to work on myself.
“I don’t want these accusations to impact the hundreds of people who work at MrBeast, which is why I have stepped away.”
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The allegations first emerged in a YouTube video last month.
The alleged victim said videos claiming Tyson groomed him “are massive lies and twisting the truth”.
“Ava never did anything wrong, and just made a few edgy jokes. I was never exploited or taken advantage of,” he added.
“This situation takes away from children who are actively being exploited everyday online. I am not a victim of anything being claimed in these videos or at all.”
In 2023, Tyson shared she was transgender and had started taking gender-affirming hormone therapy. She has regularly received transphobic abuse online.